1855 Bad River Plea For Church
Bad River Oct. 12, 1855
We the Catholic and Pagan Indians at Bad River
Father, we have some complains to make against four or five of our fellow Indians here at Bad River, who want to disturb our place, peace and welfare. Among those four of five Indians we enumerate chiefly the two Chiefs, who are still members of the Grand Medicine. We are building a small church with the assistance of our Missionary. They want to prevent us from doing so, but not openly. We understand they have written a letter to you in order that you would prevent us from continuing that church. The few whites who are among them are ?ading this plot as we understand, which we are very sory for. Now then, we beg you Father, to drop a few lines to them, that they may be quiet and not disturb the peace of our homes. If you do so all will be finished at once. We want to practice our religion now in a peaceable way, and a good may of us want to take region? yet and be civilized. We don’t want to go to any other place to settle, neither backward nor forward but it is at our old homes we want to live, to pray, to be civilized and to die.
Witnesses:
A. Gaudin
M. Baustur
We the undersigned your children:
Na wa ji wanons, x his mark
Oshkinawe, x his mark
Neta mi gi shig, x his mark
Bemisse, x his mark
Wawiiesash, x his mark
Ma ko knens, x his mark
Wa ba daw, x his mark
Ash kin, x his mark
Ma dwe yash, x his mark
Na wa kwe, x his mark
Gi shi gi ji bik, x his mark
O da wa, x his mark
Wa ba ji jak, x his mark
Mosobodon, x his mark
Amons, x his mark
Kitchi wabisheshi, x his mark
Shiba gi shig, x his mark
Baptist Roy, x his mark
Odakamigrshigwebi, x his mark
Ma in gan, x his mark
Kish kitawag, x his mark
Ma mi to gi shig, x his mark
Ke gwe jisse, x his mark
Ana kwat, x his mark
Be sha na kwat, x his mark
Eda wi gishig, x his mark
Biba mi gwa nebi, x his mark
Kitchi Saba dis, x his mark
Ka si ne, x his mark
Sa ba di sens, x his mark
Aya bi dwe we ding, x his mark
and more if necessary
Mackinac Agency
Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs 1828-1880
National Archives Microfilm Publications M234 Roll 404 1853-1855